


Something Different (But In a Good Way)

by wuwu



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Awkward Flirting, First Meetings, Listen cecil/hayato would be really cute im just .. sayin g, M/M, Pining, Takes place between season2 and season3 of utapri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:31:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8015848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wuwu/pseuds/wuwu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aijima Cecil is someone that is familiar with love, however he has never been <em>in love</em>. There's a first time for everything, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Different (But In a Good Way)

Aijima Cecil has never been in love. Well, he doesn’t think so, anyway. He’s loved people before, that’s something he’s sure of, but he doesn’t know how to distinguish what truly makes love romantic. His mother makes his heart feel warm, his father brings out his laughter, STARISH leaves him bubbling with excitement… but none of those are really special. Of course memories of his friends and family are always cherished by him, but he yearns for something more.

He thought he was in love with Haruka, once. Why wouldn’t he have been in love, right? She freed him from his curse, brought out the best of him, wrote him his own song, and supported him all throughout the master course. Cecil believed that he had fallen in love with her, but those thoughts were soon destroyed during his small vacation with STARISH and Quartet Night. He pondered why he loved Haruka, why he was so infatuated with her, and came to a realization.

It was _only_ infatuation. There were no underlying feelings. There was nothing more that he felt for Haruka except for pure, unadulterated infatuation. He was still riding the high of his curse being lifted that he never stopped to consider that maybe, just maybe, he was pouring his heart out in hopes of fooling himself. He desired the romance that so many experienced, so he tricked himself into thinking he could have that, too.

Sitting in front of Haruka, eyes downcast as the sun sets behind them, Cecil accepts this revelation. And lovely, _lovely_ Haruka assures him that his feelings are valid. She tells him that it’s okay to want the world to hear his singing. Haruka gives him butterflies in his stomach. When President Saotome tells him he’s the newest member of STARISH, he realizes that he’s only ever felt happiness around her, identical to how he feels when he’s accepted into the group of six. He experiences the same butterflies both times.

He doesn’t think about his loss of love for a while, instead choosing to focus on preparing himself for the Uta☆Pri awards. His debut goes splendidly, fans screaming and cheering for them, for _him_. His heart swells up with joy and he can’t stop smiling and Cecil doesn’t think he’s loved a feeling more in his entire life.

He’s proven wrong a few weeks later.

Cecil blinks once, twice, rubs his eyes, and stares with confusion when Tokiya’s double doesn’t go away. Except it’s not a double. Another person, the verbatim of Tokiya, stands next to him. Though, he wears a bright smile on his face, opposite of the Tokiya he knows. Cecil is still convinced his eyes are playing tricks on him.

“Woah! You two look exactly alike!” Otoya gasps.

“Yeah, that’s why they’re _twins_ ,” Syo points out, rolling his eyes.

“Ah, that’s true,” Otoya laughs sheepishly. His hand moves up to rub at the back of his head, gaze lowered as he accepts his teasing.

Natsuki claps his hands together and steps forward. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” He reaches out for Hayato’s hands and is met halfway.

“Likewise,” Hayato smiles.

Aijima Cecil can’t breathe.

Tokiya steps aside to allow the other four members room to bombard Hayato, grins wide and eyes eager to release a flurry of questions. The younger twin gives a sigh at their childish excitement, but he gives a small huff of laughter when his brother welcomes them with his trademark smile. Hayato’s charming personality and easy conversation sweeps the group off their feet. Cecil wants to join in as well, but he feels like he might melt into the ground should he move a muscle.

“Hmm,” Hayato hums over the crowd, effectively quieting the group of boys as he stands on his tiptoes. “Somebody’s missing.” His eyes playfully scan the room before landing on Cecil, grinning at his starstruck expression.

“Ceci,” Ren calls out, “what are you doing over there?”

Masato furrows his brows and turns to look at Cecil. “Is something wrong?” The concern is appreciated, but the worry is nothing more than background noise to the prince.

Right now, he feels complicated.

“Sorry,” Cecil smiles weakly. “I’m just a bit surprised.” He can feel his adam’s apple bob as he gulps.

“Ah,” Tokiya says. “I just realized we never talked about Hayato in front of you. My apologies for not introducing you sooner.” He brings his hands up to gesture to his twin, the hint of embarrassment spreading across his cheeks. “This is my older twin brother, Ichinose Hayato. He’s an idol like us, though he debuted a couple of years ago.”

Hayato breaks away from the group and moves to stand in front of Cecil. His smile is dazzling, teeth straighter and whiter than Cecil could ever dream of his being, his eyes are mesmerizing, alluring and soulful as they rake over his form, and his hair bounces with every step he takes, lively and beautiful as the locks reflect beneath the light of the room. Cecil desperately hopes his hands aren’t too sweaty when Hayato wraps his own around them. Everything seems so slow and his gaze can’t focus on the movements around him. Cecil feels like he’s drowning in molasses.

“Please to make your acquaintance, Aijima,” Hayato says in a low voice. It feels entirely too intimate for a simple introduction. Cecil’s head spins.

Cecil purses his lips for a second before speaking. “It’s nice to meet you, Ichinose.” He focuses on the syllables and congratulates himself when his sentence comes out properly.

“ _Ichinose?_ ” Hayato laughs. “Please, call me Hayato. Ichinose is my brother.” He gives a light hearted grin as he laughs through his own joke. Cecil stops breathing as the idol’s laugh slips past his lips. “It’s so nice to meet you, Aijima. Tokiya’s a complete chatterbox when he talks about you six.”

“Wha- I am _not_.”

“So when I heard that you were a new addition to the group,” Hayato continues, “I just had to meet you myself.” Hayato stares at Cecil through thick lashes, soft and warm while still holding the edge that Tokiya often expresses. Cecil focuses on how his hands seem to fit in Hayato’s perfectly and relishes the feeling of a thumb rubbing against the back of his palm. His hands are captive, much like his interest as he lets his line of sight lower to stare at Hayato’s lips, memorizing the way they pucker slightly before spreading into a warm grin.

Hayato releases his hands after a few seconds and turns to go talk with Otoya, leaving Cecil with an ache in his heart and a distant look in his eyes.

He goes to bed with a restless energy bursting inside of him. Cecil’s head swims with thoughts of Hayato. He thinks of his hair and how untameable it looked, windswept and voluminous. He thinks of how soft it must feel and what it would be like to run his fingers through the dark strands. He thinks about the deep, stormy blue of his eyes and the mascara he obviously wears. Cecil replays his meeting with Hayato over and over again.

His chest aches with… _something_.

Throwing the covers off of himself, Cecil makes his way toward the door with light steps, careful not to wake Camus. He inches his way through the door and closes it behind himself before wandering the halls. The dorms are silent and dark, illuminated only where the moonlight spills onto the carpet.

Drowsiness clings to him, but he presses on as he walks through hallway after hallway. Cecil pushes away lingering thoughts of Hayato, intent on eradicating the (unfortunately addicting) ache that weighs him down. He has the slightest idea of what he may be feeling, he’s not _that_ oblivious, but he wants to push it down and squash it until it’s nothing more than a small bother to him.

Cecil doesn’t want a repeat of Haruka.

He pauses in the middle of the hallway and slumps down, lowering himself to lay on his back. Cecil closes his eyes and hums to himself, focusing on the pleasant weight of his pendant resting on his collarbone. He can feel the slow thrum of the muses emanating from the stone, flowing through his vein and calming his nerves.

Time escapes him as he lay there, humming out one of the songs Haruka composed for the group. He’s sure that he would have fallen asleep if it weren’t for somebody prodding his shoulder.

“Aijima, are you okay?”

Cecil opens his eyes and squints to see who crouches next to him. “Masato?”

“You’re awake,” Masato breathes out. “What are you doing out here?”

“I was going for a walk,” Cecil says. “But I got tired.”

“So you decided to sleep on the floor?”

“Hmm,” Cecil hums. He cocks his head to the side and thinks for a couple of seconds. “I guess so! What are you doing out so late, Masato?”

“I was also going out for a walk,” Masato says, “but clearly it didn’t tire me out as much as it did you.” He gives a simple smile before extending a hand to Cecil. The prince takes it in his own and uses the pull from Masato to sit up and face him.

“Do you always go out at night?”

“Not always.” Masato shakes his head. “I couldn’t sleep and needed some fresh air. Do _you_ always go out at night?”

“Sometimes, I guess,” Cecil shrugs. “Whenever I have something on my mind.”

Masato sits back to relieve the stress from his ankles, choosing to sit cross legged in front of Cecil. “And what would that be?”

Cecil shrugs again and uses his hands to run back and forth over the carpet. His fingers feel warm as they move across the fibers. His hand tingles.

“I’ve been thinking,” Cecil mumbles. Masato raises an eyebrow. A few seconds of silence pass as Cecil bites the inside of his cheek, revising his thoughts in his mind. “You’ve been in love before, right? With Haruka?”

“I,” Masato coughs, “what?”

“What is it like?” Cecil asks. He raises his head and looks Masato straight in the eye. He clenches his jaw and doesn’t break his line of sight no matter how many times Masato turns his head away.

“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“I remember you told me that Haruka was the one who ignited your passion for music,” Cecil comments. “Was that because you loved her? Or did you love her after that?”

“Uh, well,” Masato fidgets. “I didn’t develop feelings for her until after I’d properly met her. She was the person who inspired me to become an idol, and I grew fond of her after spending time with her.”

“Is it possible to love someone without spending time with them?”

“No, I don’t think so.” Cecil lets out a sigh of relief. “However, love is a complicated feeling. It’s entirely possible to become interested in someone with just a single glance.”

“Interested?”

Masato nods. “You might admire their looks and find yourself wanting to get to know them better.” Cecil pouts. “Is there somebody you’re interested in, Aijima?”

“I don’t know,” he whispers.

“You can always tell me what’s on your mind,” Masato says. He turns his head to look out of one of the windows, tracking the stars with a minute laugh. “After all, I’ve told you about my feelings for Haruka. It would be nice to return the favor one day.”

“Thank you,” Cecil nods. He offers a small smile in place of an explanation once Masato turns to look at him. “I’ll let you know if something comes up.”

Cecil feels something rotten coil up inside of his stomach, constricting his insides as Masato nods back. He knows he shouldn’t lie to his friend, knows that he should talk about his thoughts of Hayato, but he keeps his mouth shut anyway.

He prefers the fluttery feeling he gets in his chest rather than the pinching in his gut.

“Are you sure everything is okay?” Masato asks. “You were acting pretty strange earlier today.”

“I’m fine, Masato,” Cecil assures him. Assures himself.

“Though, I suppose you were acting rather normal this morning,” Masato recalls. “But once Ichinose’s brother showed up you began to act quite unusual.”

“Really, I’m _fine_ , Masato-”

“And once dinnertime came around, you were back to your usual self,” he continues. “Why is that?”

Cecil gnaws on his tongue between his molars as he thinks of a way to divert the conversation away. If he were talking to Natsuki or Otoya he’d be able to switch topics easily, but Masato has quick wits and an even faster mind.

“Aijima,” Masato says in a low voice. “Do you have feelings for Ichinose Hayato?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think Anybody ships cecil/hayato but ,, oh well haha


End file.
